Wednesday, July 25, 2012

many of you know that i'm a baby-wearing momma. i love totin' my little guy around here and there. and i've been blessed to participate in the sling diaries- a 6 month photo journey into the lives of 13 families that wear their bebes all around. i can't believe that we're coming up on our last month already... when i was invited to participate 6 months seemed like a long time, but boy has it flown right by!

here's the cool part- if you love wearing your baby (or think that you'd love it and want to give it a try!) and if you have loved following along with all of the awesome posts which have been part of the sling diaries- then maybe it's just time for you to take your turn! leigh, over at marvelous kiddo, is looking for more mommas to participate in another baby wearing project.

so follow this link and let her know that you'd like to be part of the next round of baby-wearing love. xoxo

this fall i'm extra excited for one particular event that i've been wanting to do for quite some time now. it's called the dirty dash. a race that's more than just a race... it's an excuse to get so dirty even your mom wouldn't recognize you. watching this video pumps me up for it!

i have a great idea- if any of you are utah dwellers and want to run it with me, we could make a team- pick a theme and rock out in the mud?! comment below and let me know you're in. :) and follow this link to register. let's get dirty and have a blast! :)

Friday, July 20, 2012

a few weekends ago the chalk art festival was going on at the gateway in downtown salt lake. it sounded like a lot of fun and so- wearing our sunscreen and braving the heat, we ventured on down for some quality family time.

the art was amazing! some of the artists blew my mind. i love being so close to so many cool things. i'm really glad we went. emers had a great time too. especially since he ended up coming home with a balloon. he's in love with balloons these days... :)

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

newborns are so fun to photograph. so peaceful. so new, fresh, perfect.

i am always so honored to enter into homes filled with love and to capture families in their spaces.

this little guy was just 8 days old when i took these photos. precious.

taking newborn sessions on-location, in your home, is one of my favorite things. why should you have to leave to go anywhere the first few days/week of your baby's new life? you shouldn't! you should be recovering, relaxing. let me come to you. having photos taken in your space is a special way for you to remember how things were in your baby's first home. they're more than just newborn photos- they are heirlooms; a way for you to share a bit of your baby's life history with him as he grows older. if you're expecting, contact me to schedule a custom on-location portrait session of your newborn.

Monday, July 16, 2012

as part of our 4th of july celebrations, we headed over to the sugarhouse arts festival. emers loves balloons and so when we saw bobber the clown making balloon creations- we had to get one for him. these images really make me laugh.

it was emerson's first encounter with a clown... and his reaction, well... is priceless.

Friday, July 13, 2012

it's friday already and i had great things envisioned for this week. things that i would accomplish. and well, i got a good part of the list checked off- but there's still so much to do. unfortunately i haven't gotten around to blogging as much as i would like to these days. but i guess that's what happens when you have an 11 month old who is figuring out that he can get places- and that he can get there FAST!! boy does he move quick too.

I know that I don't remember when I was in the womb... so it's apparent that you won't remember your time in their either. But this realization doesn't stop me from wondering... how aware are you? You are quite restless. you respond to touch. you seem to like it when i listen to music. and when your daddy shakes my belly around to wake you up, you punch back. is it all just a reflex? or are you really somewhat aware of your surroundings and curious about the things that change up the norm? One day, I hope we'll have the answers to these questions. Until then, just keep on rolling around- your movements sometimes make me laugh out loud and I love to laugh.

Love,

Mom

as i contemplated how i wanted to explore the theme of "history" for this month's post... i couldn't help but think back on my history with emerson. HIS-STORY.

"his story" began in 2008 when britton and i met and started dating. for those of you who know me personally, you may know our dating story. but here it is in a nutshell: we started out as friends who occasionally dated. and over the course of several months our friendship grew deeper and stronger. britton proposed me to on july 3rd, 2009, while hiking. (you can see a video of it here).

and that, dear baby, was the beginning of the reality of what could be you.

dearest emerson,
when we found out that you were going to come to our family, your daddy and i were both a bit anxious and excited. it was going to be a whole new chapter in our lives. we love each other very much and were excited to have been able to create a life--YOU. we anxiously documented the whole progress of how you grew inside of me. i felt you move and shared moments with you. i was excited to see your face, to kiss your cheeks, to love you. i couldn't wait to see you smile and to hear you laugh. what a new adventure parenthood is, and we were thrilled to have this journey with you!

towards the end of my pregnancy, i went to the downtown salt lake farmer's market to be photographed by the lovely alisha stamper. she maintains a booth at the farmer's market and takes large-format instant polaroid portraits. they are stunning! these above images were taken at week 37, last summer at her booth.

as your birth-date drew near, we prepared for your arrival. we planned on bringing you into this world in a peaceful and loving setting. we planned a home-birth. i was so ready to have you in my arms and out of my belly that i actually mowed the lawn on your due date. :) i guess you liked the motion because you decided that you were ready to come into my arms as well. labor started that night and you were born the following day. luckily for me, i had incredible photographers (and such good friends) there, ready to document your arrival.

the day of your arrival is a story in itself. i wrote it down and shared it here:

your life has been well-documented and i am so excited to share with you your story. as i thought about what i could say and how i could tell you, i realized that the perfect way would be to revisit a few of the important places from before your birth... so that we could share new moments together as you experience your history.

and so, i took you to the market to see alisha. (for all of you in utah- she is still at the market every saturday. her portraits are instant. and beautiful. and only $15. seriously- a winning combination! they're worth every penny! go and visit her! and tell her i sent you!)

above portrait taken by alisha stamper at the downtown farmers market in salt lake.

after taking you to the downtown market, i knew that there was more to do to share with you some of your "history." and since our summer in salt lake has us so close to temple square, your daddy and i decided that it would be neat to take you there- so that you could see where we were married. we wanted you to experience a bit of your heritage as well. you see, your ancestors- some of your great great great- grandparents (on both sides!) came across the plains with the mormon pioneers.

there are many more stories that i will share with you, many more places for us to visit to help you understand who you are and where you came from. the most important thing that i want you to understand and know though is that you are loved. the stories shared here, through the theme of history are all about the love of two people who created you! and about how much we love having you be a part of our lives.

you're learning more and more every day. it's exciting to see you grow.

i know you'll do great things. never forget how much i love you.
love, mom.